Another Installment of Weekend Birdservations!

• A baby chickadee with a particular bald spot on his forehead finally learned how to eat from the suet grate.

• Never before seen in our yard, a white-breasted nuthatch made an appearance. Since the visit I've heard their nasal "yaank yaank!" call from both ends of our front yard. I was able to get pretty close to one too as he waited in the tree for me to fill the bird feeder.

• A raptor (falcon? kestrel?) stalked the feeder until he snagged his evening meal of sparrow. He came back for a second meal Sunday morning, and later awed the guests of our Father's Day picnic as he flew across the backyard.

• The hungry baby chipping sparrow I mentioned the other day ended up being a baby cowbird that a family of chipping sparrows fostered. I guessed this because the markings on the baby was not consistent with sparrows of any kind, was twice the size of its parents, and much hungrier than most sparrow babies. A week after I captured those photos I noticed them again and learned that those sparrows are actually raising two cowbird babies. 

• Juvenile robins have been practicing their songs as the afternoons fade to evening. A little sputtery at times, but sounding more and more like their parents every day. 

Bird of Prey

This guy landed under the feeder and I was intrigued. I even went outside to get a better look but lost sight of him as he slipped behind a bush. Then I heard a scuffle, and several small birds screaming in terror. My final view of him was as he flew away with a sparrow in his evil clutches. I just about cried.

I heard this could happen, that hawks or falcons stalk small birds at the feeders. Unfortunately I didn't recognize that behavior until it was too late. After checking my book I still couldn't figure out what kind of bird this was. He (or she) was grayish in color with a striped tail, and about the size of a crow. My best guess based on its small size is that it was probably a falcon. Now with a tasty sparrow in its tummy.